All 32 NHL teams finished moving players for the rest of the year. The Trade Deadline has passed, sealing everyone’s fates. The Dallas Stars have lots of work to do now. Jim Nill made his decision on Monday. The Stars are going for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. The rumors about defenseman John Klingberg finally end. He is staying a Star for at least until the end of the season. New acquisitions are already shining. The playoff race now heats up with lots on the line. The Stars are ready to make an impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Who They Got
The Stars went out and purchased a few utility players at the Deadline. Scott Wedgewood and Vladislav Namestnikov now play for the Stars. Nill gave up two conditional 4th Round picks for these players. They are already proving themselves as low-risk/high-reward acquisitions.
Playoffs
The Stars must make the playoffs this year. Several players become unrestricted free agents after the season. It’s a big gamble when some of these players are likely gone after this season. Jason Robertson also needs an extension. It’s best to enjoy whatever run the Stars are about to go on. This is a dramatic free agency period coming for this team.
Goaltender Merry-Go-Round
Wedgewood is the 5th Stars goaltender coming to the team this year. Bishop retired and Anton Khudobin is out for the season. Braden Holtby is out too. Wedgewood set a team record with 44 saves in his debut for the Stars. The victory against the Carolina Hurricanes shows what he can do. Goaltending needed relief and a depth trade got what the Stars required.
Klingberg Stays
Rumors always swirl near the deadline. Klingberg was a prime candidate for a trade that did not occur. Rumors lasted all season long. Now he stays at least until the end of the season. His contract is up at the end of the season so the Stars have a tough decision to make on extending him.
The Stars entered the Trade Deadline as conservative buyers. They got depth relief in Namestnikov and Wedgewood. Nill gets an A+ because he did three things. He acquired depth relief, no one left Dallas, and he did it with $0 in cap space.
The Vegas Golden Knights are behind the Stars. They trail the Stars by one point but with four more games played. The Stars have a 90% chance at making the playoffs. Standing pat at the Trade Deadline means they are pushing their chips forward. Nill knows what he is doing.
Photo Credit: Dallas Stars Twitter
